


Always Make It Home To Me

by rememberthismoment



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23046820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rememberthismoment/pseuds/rememberthismoment
Summary: The near death of a fellow officer within the Mid-Wilshire Division puts Lucy's marriage with Tim into perspective.
Relationships: Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 10
Kudos: 140





	Always Make It Home To Me

Something was plaguing her mind. He could tell just by looking at her out of the corner of his eye as she fidgeted in the passenger seat of his truck. Every so often she would sink herself further down into the leather, and her head would seem to contemplate whether the window, head rest, or her own hand was the most comfortable place to rest. The A/C unit was also quickly becoming an issue as she couldn't decide whether she was hot or cold, and she made it a point to adjust it accordingly. 

"Babe," his voice cut through the road noise and the quiet hum of the radio. Her fidgeting came to a halt, and she glanced away from the window to look over at him. "Either something is wrong here or you are going through pre-menopause."

"Menopause, really?" Her lip furled and her eyebrow quirked up, "You gonna go there?"

She reached over to put the a/c back on full blast, hoping to apease him, and turned herself back toward the window. 

The rest of the trip home was silent, which was a far cry from their usual. Rather than having the radio on blast, screaming songs at the top of her lungs and dancing in her seat while he smiled and shook his head at her, she now quietly hummed to a song every now and then. He sat quietly in the drivers seat beside her, careful not to say anything else that would make matters worse and land him on the couch tonight. 

When they pulled into the driveway, he put the truck in park but kept it running. She let out an audible sigh on her side of the console, and turned to face him. The blue lights coming from the stereo system illuminated her face. He could see the tears begin to line her lower lids, and her face scrunched up to try to stop herself from crying. He held his hand out over the console and she intertwined her fingers with his.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you," she apologized, squeezing his hand. Her voice quivered ever so slightly, and the tears started to leak onto her cheeks. "God, why am I crying right now?" 

"Ace," he spoke lowly, his thumb brushing against the back of her hand. It was the nickname he had crowned her with after her probationary period as a rookie was up, and she vehemently expressed that the name 'boot' was no longer allowed. "What is going on?" 

He spoke so softly, as if at any moment she could break into tiny pieces like delicate china hitting hardwood floor. She took a couple of ragged breaths in, trying to maintain composure under the pressure of all of the emotions that were hitting her. 

"Have you gotten an update on Officer Waters?" 

Officer Brandon Waters was involved in a hit and run accident while out on patrol earlier that morning. His partner made it out with minor injuries, but Waters was careflighted to the hospital, in critical condition. No one had gotten an update since the initial call this morning. 

"I haven't heard anything yet," Tim answered her.

Lucy nodded, bringing the palm of her free hand up to brush some of the tears from her cheeks. She didn't know a whole lot about Brandon Waters, but she did know that he had a wife and three kids at home that had expected him to make it home from shift. The weight of that was not easy to bare as she looked at Tim, knowing that this could be their reality one day. Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat.

"That could be us one day," she choked out. She could feel herself begin to unravel but she couldn't stop it. "Hell, that could be us tomorrow, or next week, or next year, or at any point in this lifetime!"

"Lu-"

"How is any of this fair?" Her voice had escalated now, the tears still trailing down her skin, "He has a wife, and three kids, Tim! They all thought it would be a normal day. He would go to work, and 12 hours later he would come home, and everything would be okay!" 

He didn't say anything in return. He didn't have an answer for her. She took a harsh breath in. Her breath caught and she coughed into her arm. The silence then settled between them for a brief moment, the radio dial turned down and the air conditioning shut off. He watched as she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, albeit still shaky.

"Right now, I just need you to be my husband and not Sergeant Tim Bradford. I don't need you to tell me that part of the oath to the badge is recognizing that we put our lives on the line everyday to protect and serve. I took that oath and I get that oath, but right now all I can think about is getting that call or that-"

"Lucy, stop."

"But I can't! I can't just stop! You may be able to easily live without me, but losing you- I just..."

"You don't think the reality of losing you scares me shitless?" His voice was loud, and unwaivering, cutting her off and stopping her in her tracks. He looked at her dead on. She diverted her eyes and turned back toward the window. Her fingers lingered around the door handle, threatening her escape from the conversation. He clenched his jaw, and threw his head back against the head rest of his seat. "I pulled you from a barrel, and you weren't even breathing, Lucy." His voice shook, teetering on the edge of a break down. She closed her eyes at the mention of the barrel. Her abduction hadn't been talked about between the two of them in two years. "I had to resuscitate you. We weren't even together then, and damn it Lucy, the thought of losing you was about enough to kill me!"

She gnawed on the inside of her cheek as he reminded his body how to breathe. The only noise that evaded the silence that followed were the sniffles coming from her side of the console. Her head slowly turned and she looked at him with her glassy eyes. The light coat of mascara she had on started to gather on the skin underneath her eyes. 

"I love you," his voice dipped on the you, and his chin quivered. He now blinked back his own tears. She tightened her grip on his hand. "There is not a day that I walk into work with you and don't think about what could go wrong. I know that there are days out on patrol that Murphy's Law tries it's damn best to win. Tomorrow isn't promised to us, Ace, police officer or not. Things happen that are out of our control, and all I can promise you is that I will always fight like hell to make it home to you." 

A tiny teardrop had leaked out the corner of his eye while he was talking, and she reached over and gently brushed it away with her thumb. The corners of his mouth turned up into a small, weepy grin at the contact. 

"I love you," she croaked out, her voice barely above a whisper. Her seatbelt then clicked, her new range of motion giving her the freedom to reach further across the console to kiss him on the mouth. "Please always make it home to me."


End file.
